Decanter (98)

Quiet, controlled with a spellbinding timbre. Neverending, and phenomenal in terms of its quality.

James Suckling (99)

Incredibly complex aromas of baking spices, fresh red fruit and a fine and elegant, floral edge, as well as red cherries, raspberries and red plums. This is phenomenal, so precise and concentrated with such detail and power, delivered with elegance and precision. The palate is super long. The best vintage made at Clonakilla to date! Perfection! Drink now, but better from 2026. Screw cap.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Clarity and nuance, silky tannins, herb-strewn, full of life and character and nuance, a whole other level of Cabernet Sauvignon, reflecting this unusual site. Blue fruits dominate over the darker cassis, adding freshness and keeping the rich concentration at arms length until the layers build through the palate. Smoked oak on the finish but it is barely discernable against the depth of fruit and minerality. Love this. Harvest April 13 and 16, 3.96ph. Just under 1,900 bottles produced.

Nestled in the rich Southern McLaren Vale region, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 is an exquisite embodiment of Australian excellence. This pre-eminent Shiraz, crafted by prominent winemaker Coriole Vineyards, charms with a bold, full-bodied profile encapsulating intense fruit flavours dappled with notes of savoury spice and dark chocolate. Each grape is attentively selected from the oldest vineyard plantings, dating back to 1919, ensuring a superior quality yield. The meticulous fermentation process in open-top vessels, followed by ageing in French oak barrels, bestow a distinguished depth and complexity that leaves a lingering palate impression.

Bearing the name of the Lloyd family, who established Coriole in 1967, the Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 2013 carries a legacy mirrored in its striking character and robust structure. Unquestionably, it's a testament to Coriole’s enduring commitment to create wines that captivate with their elegance and remarkable drinking pleasure.

Bob Campbell MW (98)

Le Sol, one of the country's most respected syrah labels, cracked through the NZD $100 barrier with the 2013 vintage and has continued to adjust the price in a northerly direction. This is the first vintage that a small amount (20% ) of whole bunches has been used in the fermentation. Nicely perfumed and typically dense, rich syrah with a lovely texture and firm, rounded tannins. Powerful yet elegant wine with plum, berry and mixed spice flavours together with an interesting savoury edge

The Real Review (99)

Dense, intense and complex syrah that combines power and finesse. A deep, dark wine with a heady perfume and dark berry, plum, violet and pepper-spice flavours. Clearly a wine worth cellaring, although it is deliciously drinkable now.

The Real Review (97)

Deep, quite youthful red/purple colour. The bouquet is spotlessly clean, fresh and bright, showing classy oak and properly ripe fruit. The wine is concentrated, full-bodied and powerful, with density, great structure and superbly ripe fruit flavours. A majestic wine. It's a baby, and all it needs is a bit more time.

Wine Advocate (89+)

Merlot has taken a beating in the world marketplace, but there is no question there are some good ones, and the 2005 Merlot John Zilm may turn out to be an outstanding example with another year or so of bottle age. Aged 16 months in 100% new French oak, it exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, good uplift, excellent definition, hints of sweet blackberries, plums, red currants, mocha, and coffee beans, a lovely texture, fine purity, and serious concentration. This delicious Merlot can be enjoyed over the next 7-10 years.

Wine Advocate (89+)

Merlot has taken a beating in the world marketplace, but there is no question there are some good ones, and the 2005 Merlot John Zilm may turn out to be an outstanding example with another year or so of bottle age. Aged 16 months in 100% new French oak, it exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, good uplift, excellent definition, hints of sweet blackberries, plums, red currants, mocha, and coffee beans, a lovely texture, fine purity, and serious concentration. This delicious Merlot can be enjoyed over the next 7-10 years.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

81% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 6% cabernet franc, 3% malbec. Wild-fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak (40% new). The colour is faultless, as is the wine. It has waves of complexity, like one of Margaret River's surf breaks, changing shape as the luxuriant cassis swells on the mid-palate, then finishes with ripe, textured tannins as the wave goes on to crash on the shore. The overall ripeness is perfection.

James Suckling (99)

This is a superb edition of this revered, cabernet-based blend with such complete, seamless and elegant feel, yet there’s such depth of flavor, too. Aromas of fresh redcurrants, red and violet flowers, subtle spice, fresh earth, paper bark, fresh-picked thyme and sage, red berries and some cedary notes. The palate is stunning and has a brand of elegance with power that is found in only the greatest wines. Pristine mulberries, red plums, blueberries and red cherries sail through layers of fine tannin, into an unwaveringly long and vibrant finish. An exceptionally concentrated and convincing Diana Madeline release, this is one of their finest. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 5% malbec. Delicious now, but his will bloom from 2028. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

87% Cabernet sauvignon, with 7/3/2/1% merlot/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. Matured for 15 months in barrique, 45% new. Cassis and red licorice on the nose, bay and salt bush, too. The palate is salty and fine with layers upon layers of spice and texture. The tannins are like finely textured gills, stacked as delicately as the folds in a mushroom. The length of flavour unfurls and extends across the palate, taking so long to fade that this entire tasting note is possible off one sip. The rest are just for pleasure. Drink it now, or in 40+ years from now… both will be possible.

Vinous (94)

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Diana Madeline is stylish, poised and precise boasting an intense and enticing core of graphite, blackberry, and black olive aromas. Classically structured, there is immense density to the dark, cedary fruit flavour and tannins, with underlying vitality and freshness. A long, tight and sinewy finish bodes well for the future but it clearly needs time to fill out.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

57% malbec, 37% petit verdot, 6% merlot, hand-picked on 11 Feb '17, when a total eclipse occurred, turning the moon red. Wild-fermented, matured for 9 months in French oak (10% new). It's a delectably juicy red berry wine with minimal interference from tannins, but will be no pushover as it ages.

Wine Advocate (94)

This estate’s most renowned offering is their old vine (90+ years) Shiraz called The Dead Arm. The unfined/unfiltered 2000 The Dead Arm Shiraz is one of South Australia’s finest wines of the vintage. A perfume of grilled steak intermixed with blackberries, new saddle leather, earth, pepper, and melted licorice rises from this awesome red. With great power, richness, and no hard edges, it is still young and primary, but should hit its peak in 3-7 years, and last for two decades or more.

Wine Advocate (95)

D’Arenberg’s most famous wine is its flagship, The Dead Arm Shiraz. The 2005 The Dead Arm Shiraz is sourced from ancient head-pruned vines. It was aged for 22 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak. It is opaque purple/black with an expansive perfume of toast, smoke, spice box, mineral, pencil lead, tar, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, opulent, and super-concentrated, this structured, lengthy wine will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and drink well through 2025.

Vinous (94)

Saturated ruby. A highly perfumed, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe dark fruits, pipe tobacco, mocha and candied flowers. Palate-staining blueberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and fruitcake flavors show excellent depth as well as vibrancy. The floral and spice notes return on the impressively long, focused finish, which is framed by smooth, late-arriving tannins.

The Devotus Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 2018 hails from New Zealand's acclaimed Martinborough region. This opulent, distinguished wine is meticulously handcrafted, striving for richness and depth. The boutique vineyard composes merely 3 hectares, and is solely committed to the art of perfecting Pinot Noir. It safeguards though intersperses only three specific Dijon clones within its rich, free-draining soil property. Don McConachy and Valerie Worsdale, the passionate owners, take painstaking effort to hand-pick each specimen at the right time, creating an intimate blend of structure, concentration, and power.

The Devotus Pinot Noir Reserve Single Vineyard 2018 undergoes fermentation with native yeasts alongside gentle hand plunging. Traditional Burgundy methods are blended seamlessly with modern techniques to structure its sumptuous palate. This full-bodied, complex pinot noir displays notes of deep red fruits, smoked meat, and luscious earthy tones, culminating in a lasting, silky finish.

Wine Spectator (97)

Big and powerful, brimming with tarry, spicy black cherry, dark plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors. Rich and gooey like a warm flourless chocolate cake, yet it finds a plush balance that keeps it from veering off into heaviness. This has grace, harmony and refinement, without losing an ounce of power. Drink now through 2025. 600 cases imported. -HS

James Suckling (98)

This pinot has an x-factor that sets it apart. There’s an almost peppery edge to the violet, blueberry and red-cherry nose with sappy and earthy elements, as well as roasted game and fragrant baking spices. The palate has a very plush, attractive and fresh array of vibrant and detailed pinot fruit on offer. Long and precise. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

The Real Review (96)

Deepish, bright, youthful red/purple colour, with a lovely fragrant bouquet of red and dark cherries, strawberry and rose petals. It's complex and foresty too, but shows more primary fruit and perfume than usual for a young Escarpment pinot. Dried flowers, dried herb, savoury underbrush aromas. Very complex and profound in the mouth, with a very long carry. The tannins are in excellent harmony. An outstanding vintage for this vineyard. (70% whole-bunches)

Wine Advocate (95)

The full-bodied, rich 2019 Kupe Pinot Noir is a lovely example of how size doesn't have to mean a loss of elegance. Bold black cherry and plum flavors combine with nuances of cola spice and mocha to yield ample complexity, while the palate is plush and velvety, seamlessly extending through a lingering finish. While delicious now, I expect it will drink well for more than a decade.

James Suckling (96)

Intensely spicy and perfumed with concentrated notes of purple plums, cherry stones, rosemary, neroli, cloves, cigar box and ground coffee. The tannins are firm and tightly-knit, providing a solid frame to the dark fruit. Sensual and distinctive. Try this from 2024. Screw cap.

Real Review (97)

Intense, dense wine with cassis, blueberry, blackberry, dark chocolate, mixed spice and nutty oak flavours. Concentrated wine that is beautifully structured making it accessible now but with obvious potential

James Suckling (95)

A juicy and savory 2021 with dried strawberry, meat, mineral and earth undertones. Medium to full body. Chewy tannins and layered. Slightly smoky at the end. Charcoal. Very drinkable but better in 2025. Screw cap.

Vinous (92)

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bannockburn is welcoming as well as rich, savory and sinewy, delivering a plump cloud of both lifted and brooding fruit: a portion of whole-cluster fermentation has brought herbal and violet high notes alongside red and black cherry. There's excellent concentration despite this being the entry to the Felton Pinot range, and fine, lightly furry tannins on the medium-long finish. This could be approached now, but it’s better to wait a couple of years to let the components settle.

Wine Advocate (94)

This year, my favorite of the Felton Road releases is the 2018 Block 3 Pinot Noir, which balances the richness and power of the vintage with bright red-fruit flavors and ample complexity. It's medium to full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular without being inelegant, powering to a long, gently dusty finish tinged with cocoa and cola.